The Farmer Field House, built in 2020, is one of Athens Academy’s newest additions to the campus. It is located adjacent to Slaughter Field and is used daily by athletes, coaches, and trainers for games and practices. When talks of building this structure were circulating, it was met with some concern. The original building, which came into fruition in 1967, would have to be destroyed in order for The Farmer Field House to be built. When the previous building was there three porta potties had to be brought in because it didn’t have enough restrooms. Also, there was no room for a concession stand so that had to be brought in on a trailer. Although it was dated and smaller, the old building had some memories attached to it and we were sad to see it go. Eventually though, the community decided that it was time and planned to raise money from families to finally make the dream happen. This was not an overnight process though and once it was decided, it took years of planning and fundraising to come to life. The Varsity football coach, Coach Alexander points out that “It is a space we are lucky to have.”

During the height of the pandemic in March of 2020, after years of planning and fundraising, The Farmer Field House finally broke ground. In just 9 months it was built and opened to Athens Academy. It has a concession stand, bathrooms for spectators, offices, a laundry room, storage, and multipurpose rooms. Not to mention, it has opened locker room space for up to seven sports teams. The upper level features football locker rooms and coaching offices while the lower level accommodates referees and other sports teams such as track and field, cross country, and soccer. Another beneficial feature is the meeting room which has large glass windows overlooking Slaughter Field. This has allowed events to be held for alumni and parents before the game, which wasn’t possible in the previous building. 

As Spartan Athletics has grown, this building has become a necessity to accommodate all twelve teams our school has. Coach A agrees by saying, “We are lucky as a football team, soccer team, cross country and track and everyone else that gets to go in there that we have a safe space where we can store our stuff that we need to compete and be successful in.” Our director of finance and operations, Mr. Weiller says “ It has opened up a lot of opportunities” and “It serves our students and school in many ways.” We are very thankful to the parents and faculty who made this possible, as it has enriched our community and added so much to our campus.